We're just back in busy-crazy-wonderful post-Chinese New Year Hanoi to find our Hotel Room has been upgraded for our loyalty and that the upgraded toilet doesn't work. But frankly we could call our trip a day right now and we'd feel we'd had sufficient adventures after Halong Bay...
The embarressing thing is that we really didn't know that much about it, but our overnight boat trip on an 'authentic' Chinese junk was all the cliches and postcards and more. Epic mountains rearing out of dead calm waters, magic sunsets and sunrises, huge amounts of ridiculously delicious food included and wonderful visits with the happy fishing folk on floating villages... Just truly spectacular nature with a splash of culture and rough fun.
Right, we're off to check on the state of ablution repairs... later tonight - Shadow Puppet theatre!!
Ciao ciao (I know I know... I've forgotten the Vietnamese and don't have the phrasebook right now... but Italians would like it here too, promise)
Lindsey and Nick
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Hanoi!
We've arrived! And already we have learned our way around the Old Quarter (the big lake in the middle helps ;-), how to navigate traffic (Lindsey got 'nudged' by a whole family on a xe-om (motorcycle) in our first ten minutes in the city - only pride was injured), how to bargain with denominations in the millions and found loads and loads and loads of beautiful food.
Food: We've had two 'mysterious' meals on the street so far (no food poisoning yet, Tom) and LOVING sitting/squatting (there is a lot of squatting) on little plastic stools in the middle of streets while food is cooked in front of us/by us by the locals. First call was 'pho' - noodle soup with a range of meats (porkish I think), mushrooms and spicy bits - complete with the locals having a midday lunch. Last night we hung out on the pavement with the young hip Vietnamese where a young hip maitron-dee in a young hip plastic leather jacket quite literally 'worked the street' - bringing our ingredients (we were offered chicken, beef or pork which meant you got beef and called it pork or chicken unless you had chosen beef in which case you got beef too). But twas DELICIOUS! (Nick has relaxed his mammal-free diet for the duration in the interests of cultural exploration and difficulty in accurate food-identification).
We also saw lots of stuff and might even write about it some time. But right now we're off to Halong Bay to sleep overnight on a 'junk'.
Love to all!
Lindsey and Nick
Food: We've had two 'mysterious' meals on the street so far (no food poisoning yet, Tom) and LOVING sitting/squatting (there is a lot of squatting) on little plastic stools in the middle of streets while food is cooked in front of us/by us by the locals. First call was 'pho' - noodle soup with a range of meats (porkish I think), mushrooms and spicy bits - complete with the locals having a midday lunch. Last night we hung out on the pavement with the young hip Vietnamese where a young hip maitron-dee in a young hip plastic leather jacket quite literally 'worked the street' - bringing our ingredients (we were offered chicken, beef or pork which meant you got beef and called it pork or chicken unless you had chosen beef in which case you got beef too). But twas DELICIOUS! (Nick has relaxed his mammal-free diet for the duration in the interests of cultural exploration and difficulty in accurate food-identification).
We also saw lots of stuff and might even write about it some time. But right now we're off to Halong Bay to sleep overnight on a 'junk'.
Love to all!
Lindsey and Nick
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Our Itinerary
This is what we're up to from Feb 1-18ish... Thereafter plans are sketchy so far but Chaing Mai looks the go.
http://www.geckosadventures.com/South-East-Asia/Trip/Overview.html?trip=Indochina-Discoverer&tripid=2788
http://www.geckosadventures.com/South-East-Asia/Trip/Overview.html?trip=Indochina-Discoverer&tripid=2788
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